Fifty Shades Scores Hot Opening Night

The first numbers are in and Universal’s film adaptation of the erotic bestseller “Fifty Shades of Grey” has launched to a superb $8.6 million from Thursday night preview screenings.

That makes it Universal’s highest grossing late night preview screenings ever, topping the $6.5 million for “Fast and Furious 6”. It isn’t the highest for an R-rated film though, with “The Hangover Part II” beating it with $10.4 million.

Officially the studio is expecting a $50 million opening over the four-day President’s Day weekend, but other analysts think it will be in the higher $70-80 million range.

Fox’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service” also opens this week and took in $1.4 million from Thursday night previews. Its Friday-Sunday total is expected to be in the $24-28 million range.